Tag: fruit

What kind of fruit are you?

/ CD Hamman / 1 Comment

“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad. You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” ( Matthew 12:33-37 NLTse)

I would venture to say that there is a good chance that for most of us who read this passage our thinking goes something like, “This doesn’t really apply to me. I’m a pretty good person. I attend church and tithe my ten percent and even give a little extra for missions and youth. And I’m even nice to that nasty old so and so who’s always off key and just wants everyone’s attention. Yep, I’m good. This passage is for those overly judgemental religious people like that mean old pastor of ours who’s always preaching right at me.”

The pastor’s version of thinking might be something like, “I know who needs this sermon. That old busy body, who sits second row, organ side, always telling me what I ought to be preaching. Then there’s that worship leader. I know he ain’t doing things right. He doesn’t agree with me on anything.” And the worship leader’s thinking, “That pastor of ours just don’t have a clue. He’s mean, he’s too old fashioned. And we really need a new sound person; someone who understands physics and technology.”

And to make it even more interesting all of these people are talking to each other about each other, as well as talking to others about each other. I’ve watched it happen probably ever since I was a kid. (Folks, kids see a whole lot more than we realize. Not to mention, you just never know whose watching, and listening.) I’ve seen pastors complain about their congregation, congregants complain about the pastor, ministers complain about other ministers, and the list is probably endless. Sometimes we even complain just because that’s all we know how to do anymore. But in the midst of all of our running each other, and everyone else, down have we ever stopped to listen to ourselves? For people who claim to follow Jesus Christ we can be some real jerks. I’m including myself here too, people. I’m guilty of carelessly speaking words that hurt, teardown and destroy just as much as those who have done it to me. If I’m really honest I’ve even been guilty of lying to make myself look good or to make another person look bad. And I have to ask myself, “Where is the grace that I was supposed to give?”

As I’m writing this I am reminded of a phrase I heard in an anger management course I went through once. The minister, Dr. Teresa Davis, who led the program, reminded us more than once that “Hurt people hurt people.” Let that sink in for a minute. Hurting people hurt other people. In spite of all our claims to the contrary, I suspect we have not really allowed God to heal us, so that we can stop the hurt. I’m sure we meant it when we asked forgiveness and for God to rule our lives, but for some reason we may not have allowed Him to begin the true healing. So we claim to belong to Jesus, but we hold on to the hurt. Which means we then go on to hurt others. It’s a vicious cycle. One that I cannot break on my own. And, frankly, neither can you. But there is hope. If I want to be capable of producing good fruit, I have to be good fruit. I have to let go of my hurts and give them to Jesus. I have to allow the Holy Spirit to have complete control. When we allow God to cut away the hurts and the rough edges, he can actually remove the rot, the sin, the anger, the hatred and make us to be good, holy fruit.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to make us into what God desires, then we can stop hurting others. We learn to pray for each other, lift each other up before God. That nasty and mean person who may still hate us becomes someone we pray for. You can’t pray for someone you hate. I know; I’ve tried it. It just doesn’t work. You also can’t change someone else. But you can pray that they will let God truly transform them, as you continue to allow Him to transform you.

How does your garden grow?

/ CD Hamman / Leave a comment

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, NLTse)
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. (Galations 5:22-23, NLT)

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In March, I moved into a second floor apartment that has a southern facing balcony. I decided it was the perfect time to try my hand at container gardening. I went out and bought a seed starting kit that contained seeds for cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and lettuce. In April I started the seeds indoors, and it took until almost June before they were ready to be put outside. Now at this point, for those who don’t know me well, I should probably point out that God has not blessed me with an abundance of patience (hereafter referred to as “that p word”).

My lettuce never did develop into heads, although, according to the package it was suppose to be a head variety.  I finally harvested the leaves a few weeks ago and have given up on growing more lettuce this year.

One of my cucumber plants has finally produced about six or seven cucumbers over the last several weeks. The other one has given me one or two, with little sign of continuing. But I am working on being that “p” word. I do see a few beginning cucumbers, so I’m praying that at least one of them will continue.

My pepper plants are finally producing peppers that I think I will be able to start harvesting in the next few days. And it appears that they will be producing for a while longer.

And my two beefsteak tomato plants? Well, so far each plant has one small green tomato. But they also have a lot more blossoms, so I am hopeful of more to come.

In mid to late May, I also decided to try to grow jalapeno peppers and cherry tomatoes. Again, I started from seeds. They actually seem to have grown and begin producing a little bit faster. I put the cherry tomato plant into a hanging planter that grows upside down and put the jalapeno plants into regular pots, one of which has two plants the other just a single plant. I actually have several cherry tomatoes, though they are still green, and several jalapenos already. Granted, none of them are ready to be harvested yet, but those plants do seem to have produced faster than any of the others.

I have, however begun to learn a few things from this gardening adventure. (These are not in any order, other than as they have occurred to me as I write this):

First, when starting from seeds you really want to begin several weeks before you intend to move the plants outside, if you intend to begin harvesting earlier in the summer.

Second, research a little bit and find out how much space each plant needs. I screwed up and tried growing two cucumber plants in the same container. I did the same thing with the tomato plants. I was able to separate the cucumber plants into their own container, but transplanting them when I did almost killed them both. The root systems of the tomato plants are so intertwined, and after almost losing both cucumber plants, I thought it best to leave them this year. But next year, they will be grown in separate containers.

Third, the harvest does eventually begin. Everything in it’s season.

Finally, I think I am beginning to grasp a couple things that apply to our spiritual lives. As I was picking a couple cucumbers the other day, and noticing that the other plants were finally beginning to produce, I was reminded of the above verses, as well as John 15. The produce will come in it’s time. I have been tempted several times to give up, but with more of that “p” word than I usually have, a commitment to care for my plants, a willingness to learn, and allowing God to do His part, I am beginning to enjoy the fruit of my labor.  The spiritual life also requires much more of that “p” word than many of us care to think about, a willingness to learn, caring and nurturing, and allowing God to do His work in His way and in His time. This will produce a harvest in our own lives. We will also be privileged to participate in various ways of planting, watering, tending to, and eventually to reaping harvests of others for Christ. We can’t rush the producing of the fruit, or the harvest. We have to allow ourselves, and others the grace to grow as directed by God. And sometimes, as I have been reminded over the past year or so, we may even have to tolerate the spreading of excess fertilizer by those who just don’t know any better. And when that happens, just remember, that fertilizer can lead to a better harvest.